First Friday Briefing - February 7, 2003

More information about educational benefits

From Lt. Col. Matt Shannon
Georgia Education Services Officer...

We need your help in maximizing our support to you and all Georgia Guardsmen. We are combining our Federal Tuition Assistance with our State Program (the Service Cancelable Loan or SCEL*) to better serve you.

We analyzed our financial support, and have found that we could only offer 100% tuition assistance for a small part of the school year, and a limited number of our soldiers. Our goal is to extend the 100% tuition benefit to the Fall and Spring semesters, at the Georgia State schools, to as many as we possibly can.

What we need from you are: a Federal Tuition Assistance (FTA) Application and FTA Agreement (email LTC Shannon for copies), and an SCEL application, (please download from this site: http://www.gsfc.org/GSFA/SCL/dsp_gngscel.cfm ). Please fill them out - have your commander (or his/her representative) certify the FTA form. This will confirm that you are member in good standing, and return the originals to us, (the address is on the form, as well as at the bottom of this email).

DETAILS:

We have received $120,000 for the year in Service Cancelable Loans, (State assistance). We are expecting $400,000 in Federal Tuition Assistance.

Here are the maximum rates of support available:

SCEL: Annually - $3,643
FTA Annually - $4,000

Example: A soldier's tuition is $1000/semester at a state sponsored school. FTA pays $750. Then the Pell Grant is subtracted, (if applicable) and then the SCEL is applied against the tuition.

First - FTA Then - Pell Then - SCEL

Combining these two programs will enable us to offer you 100% tuition throughout the entire school year**, instead of only for one semester. A word of caution - remember, you are responsible for your education and your grades. These financial aid programs are designed such that you can concentrate on your studies. Please work hard on your education. In the event you do not pass a course, we will recoup the funding for that class.

HOW TO:

Take your SCEL application to your school's financial aid office - they will fill it in and sign it.
Take your FTA application to your unit, and have your commander (or representative) certify your good standing in the GaARNG.
KEEP A COPY OF EVERYTHING.
Send the originals to the Education Office, (Applications are due in NLT 30 days prior to the school starting).

If you are attending a non-Georgia state school, then you need only apply for the FTA, (the maximum rate of 75%).

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